Indigenous high schoolers preparing for dance showcase
More than two dozen teens from across Manitoba and northern Ontario are stepping into a new challenge.
Kaydence Keeper has travelled to Winnipeg to dance with other Indigenous youth, for the first time with her leadership program.
“It feels amazing," Keeper said. “I’ve always wanted to dance with other people other than being just me by myself.”
She says she used to dance alone in her bedroom, but now she’s part of a group of teens heading to Toronto in May to show off their moves at one of the largest dance showcases in Canada. It’s part of a countrywide mentorship program for Indigenous youth called Outside Looking In (OLI). Keeper is part of a smaller leadership group inside the program.
“It’s really fun and improves your mental health," fourth-year participant Taison Geyshick said while taking a break from the studio. “I feel like I would be in a much worse position if it wasn’t for OLI.”
Lindy Kinoshameg, the RBC Future Leaders program manager, says the program is about more than dance moves.
“(They) earn a high school credit and to empower themselves and learn a dance piece (that) they perform at our annual showcase,” Kinoshameg said. “This week we’re going to different colleges and universities and including entrepreneur courses having guest speakers come in and talk and share their experience.”
Geyshick says the social skills he's learning here will last him a lifetime.
“It’s like an amazing bonding experience like learning together and they put us through these hard workouts,” Geyshick said.
Those bonds reach back home.
“As I’m here with the program and everything I’m actually doing it for my friends who can’t,” Keeper said.
Keeper will be sharing what she’s learnt with her friends and family, and will keep dancing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
Tipping is off the table at this Toronto restaurant
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.
Record-breaking N.B. lottery winner kept winning ticket on dresser for nearly a year
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
A dog and a bird formed an unlikely friendship. Their separation has infuriated followers
Peggy is a stout and muscular Staffordshire bull terrier, and Molly is a magpie, an Australian bird best known for swooping on humans during breeding season, not for befriending dogs. But in an emotional video posted online, Peggy’s owners announced that the animals had been separated.
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 mm among weather alerts in effect for 7 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres, air quality advisories and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.
Gangs netting up to US$3 trillion a year as Southeast Asia human trafficking becomes a global crisis, Interpol says
Human trafficking-fuelled fraud is exploding in Southeast Asia with organized crime rings raking in close to US$3 trillion in illicit revenue annually, the head of Interpol has said in comments that reveal the huge profits being earned by cartels.